Brooks Software Enhances Statistical Process Control Solution with Launch of SPACE 4.1
Tuesday October 12, 10:20 am ET
New version helps discrete manufacturers establish corporate SPC standards through industry-leading features, including offline analytics and Java interface
CHELMSFORD, Mass., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Brooks Software, a division of Brooks Automation, Inc. and a leading provider of real-time applications for enterprises with collaborative, complex manufacturing operations, today launched SPACE 4.1, an upgrade to its widely deployed statistical process control (SPC) application. Built on Brooks' Sense Decide Respond(TM) real-time enterprise architecture, SPACE 4.1 helps manufacturers implement corporate SPC standards, ensuring immediate response to changes or fluctuations in the manufacturing process for greater product consistency and quality. New and enhanced features include rational sub-grouping, a Java API and an advanced calculation option (ACO) module, as well as broader chart management and offline analytical capabilities.
Brooks' SPACE statistical process control solution is widely installed in semiconductor manufacturing facilities throughout the world. The product's proven ability to drive operational efficiency makes it a critical resource for discrete manufacturers enhancing lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and supply chain execution initiatives. SPACE 4.1 allows manufacturers to monitor processes in real-time and take corrective measures before problems occur, helping to improve quality and to reduce the number of scraps and rework. SPACE integrates with any manufacturing execution system (MES), including Brooks' newly-released FACTORYworks3, the first third-generation MES product optimized for the real-time enterprise. SPACE also integrates with Brooks' out of control action plan (OCAPS) application, which allows corrective action to be configured in a pre-defined workflow.
"SPACE 4. 1 has proven to be the preeminent statistical process control solution among our manufacturing customer base, clearly distinguishing itself from other offerings through both its performance and its rich feature set," said Jay Doraiswami, president of Mentis Solutions Inc., a Brooks Software integrator. "Our customers like SPACE's intuitive user interface and the three-tier architecture that allows effective integration with other systems. Customers are using SPACE 4.1 to achieve better product quality by putting in place monitors, alerts and controls, and better schedule adherence by reducing process variability and improving yield. They're also realizing improved cost savings by preventing additional processing of defective products, and better equipment utilization by allowing plant managers to use the most appropriate equipment."
According to Joe Bellini, senior vice president of Brook Software, a division of Brooks Automation, "As part of our Sense Decide Respond portfolio of real-time enterprise applications, SPACE 4.1 plays a valuable role in helping our customers monitor changes within manufacturing processes as they occur. Operators can then use SPACE to drill down on particular chart values to gain a better understanding of where problems lie, so that they can address issues before they impact productivity. SPACE's real-time advantage is key to enacting preemptive measures that ensure high yields of quality product and smooth, efficient operations."
Industry-leading SPC features With SPACE 4.1, Brooks has responded to evolving customer requirements across a number of industries -- including aerospace and defense, automotive, high tech, medical device and semiconductor -- to implement several new features and enhancements:
-- Rational sub-grouping
Brooks is the only vendor to offer rational sub-grouping, a feature
endorsed by SEMATECH, standard in its SPC solution. With rational sub-
grouping -- also known as multivariate analysis -- manufacturers can
group by wafer, site or lot to determine the components of variation
within a process. These components can then be extracted for SPC
analysis.
-- Offline analytics
The new version of SPACE offers improved offline analytical
capabilities, evolving SPACE from a purely online statistical tool to
an offline analytical resource as well.
-- Java interface
In SPACE 4.1, Brooks offers a Java API that provides centralized
control chart and limits management. The new interface grants
manufacturers external management of SPACE, giving larger manufacturers
the option of using their existing MESs with Brooks' SPC solution.
-- Advanced calculation option (ACO) module
Brooks' new ACO module extends the calculated parameters of SPACE and
enables manufacturers to improve SPC sensitivity.
-- EWMA chart management
SPACE supports thousands of charts, provides global view and historical
chart information via audit trails, and offers exponentially weighted
moving average (EWMA) charts, which greatly reduce false alarms.
About Mentis Solutions
Mentis Solutions, a Brooks Systems Integrator, focuses on implementing Information Technology solutions in the manufacturing industry. Mentis combines decades of domain experience in the industry with a deep expertise in IT. Mentis uses a business solutions approach versus a software-only approach to solve real world problems and thus has a very successful track record of providing rich ROI for its customers. More information on Mentis can be found at mentisinc.com.
About Brooks Software
Brooks Software, a division of Brooks Automation, provides real-time applications that support enterprise-wide initiatives for greater efficiency and productivity in collaborative, complex manufacturing. Brooks' Sense Decide Respond(TM) manufacturing software solutions are the foundation for enterprise initiatives in supply chain execution, closed loop automation, lean manufacturing and enterprise performance management. Installed in the majority of Fortune 500 manufacturers, Brooks Software delivers competitive advantage to aerospace & defense, automotive, high tech, life sciences and semiconductor manufacturers worldwide. According to recent reports from industry analyst firms AMR Research, ARC and Dataquest/Gartner, Brooks Software is the largest supplier of execution applications to the discrete manufacturing industry. Brooks' adaptive MES solutions deliver a wide range of functionality tailored to support the specific needs of discrete manufacturers, including full product and process traceability and collaborative and multi-site manufacturing. For more information, visit brookssoftware.com.
About Brooks Automation, Inc.
Brooks Automation (Nasdaq: BRKS - News) delivers automation solutions to the global semiconductor and related industries. The company provides hardware, factory and tool management software, and professional services to help manage every wafer, reticle, and data movement in the fab, improving throughput and yield while reducing cost and time to market. Brooks' products and capabilities are used in virtually every semiconductor fab in the world. For information, visit the company's web site at brooks.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The foregoing discussion contains forward-looking statements related to future results and product capabilities and speaks only of Brooks Automation's expectations as of the date of this press release. The forward- looking statements involve several known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, the continued success of Brooks Automation, Inc. (the "Company") in the marketplace, the Company's dependence on the cyclical semiconductor industry, the highly competitive nature and rapid technological change that characterize the industries in which the Company competes, the performance of the Company's products and services, and other risks and uncertainties described in the Company's reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Company's future results will not be materially different from those projected. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Brooks Software |
